Free NYC events, festivals and activities

Living in New York City is beyond expensive. From rent to MetroCards to a cup of coffee, everything adds up quickly.

Luckily, there are tons of free events to check out in the city that never sleeps.

Here's our freebie guide to NYC.

Indie-rock singalong (Aug. 19)

Photo Credit: Getty Images for iHeartMedia/Gerardo Mora

The bands All Time Low and Dashboard Confessional are turning the South Street Seaport into a giant indie-rock singalong as they make some summer memories. All Time Low, pictured, has rolled out the new singles "Everything Is Fine" and "Birthday" for the summer, and Dashboard is still promoting the underappreciated "Crooked Shadows" album, including the anthemic "We Fight." ($45, 6 p.m., The Rooftop at Pier 17, 89 South St., ticketmaster.com)

India Day Parade (Aug. 19)

Photo Credit: Charles Eckert

Organized by the Federation of Indian Associations of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, the 2018 edition of this annual procession will once again pay homage to the Asian-Indian community as performers and others march down Madison Avenue with actor/politician Kamal Haasan serving as grand marshal. (Free, noon to 6 p.m., along Madison Avenue, from 25th to 38th streets, fianynjct.org)

YogaNoir (Aug. 15)

Photo Credit: Getty Images / krblokhin

New York City's health department and Sisters and Brothers Thrive are hosting a free yoga session for the African-American community on Wednesday. According to the department, African-Americans are 20 percent more likely to experience serious mental health challenges than the general population and yoga has been effective in increasing happiness, wellness and health. Participants will get a free yoga mat and water bottle. (Free, two sessions, 6 and 7 p.m., The Great Hill on 106th Street in Central Park, eventbrite.com)

'Uptown Bounce: A Space Odyssey' (Wednesdays)

Photo Credit: Filip Wolak / Museum of the City of New York

Bounce on up to Museum Mile this Wednesday for an evening of live music, art-making workshops, food trucks and more celebrating East Harlem. Get ready to party at Night Two of the fifth annual Uptown Bounce summer block party, presented by El Museo del Barrio and Museum of the City of New York, which also will offer FREE admission and extended hours. This final Bounce will feature space-age pop from David Bowie, Janelle Monae, Grace Jones, Elton John and Prince among others. Manchildblack and Monstah Black of the Illustrious Blacks will show off their intergalactic Afro-futuristic skills. (Free, 6 to 9 p.m., Museum of the City of New York & El Museo del Barrio, 104th Street and Fifth Avenue, mcny.org/bounce)

Summer Streets (Saturdays)

Photo Credit: AFP / Getty Images / Emmanuel Dunand

Enjoy 7 miles of car-free roadways from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the first three Saturdays in August. The route winds from the Brooklyn Bridge to the 72nd Street entrance to Central Park, spanning Centre Street, Lafayette Street, Fourth Avenue and Park Avenue. There will be five "rest stops" with free activities, including a 165-feet-long zip line at Foley Square and an 8-feet-tall bouldering wall at Astor Place. Visitors are welcome to enjoy the open road with rented bicycles, roller skates or handcycles. The programming also includes cultural activities such as live music, kid-friendly art workshops and walking tours of Park Avenue architecture. There will also be water fountains and concession stands providing sustenance along the way.

Brooklyn's Smorgasburg (Saturdays and Sundays)

Photo Credit: Smorgasburg / John von Pamer

The Smorgasburg NYC Outdoor Food Market calls itself the largest weekly open-air market in the nation, and it takes place in Brooklyn -- in Williamsburg on Saturdays, Prospect Park on Sundays. More than 100 area vendors will be selling all sorts of food and drink; bring Fido on Sundays when the event goes pet-friendly. (11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday at East River State Park, 90 Kent Ave.; Sunday at Prospect Park, Breeze Hill East Drive and Lincoln Road (until October), smorgasburg.com)

Free outdoor movies

Photo Credit: Etienne Frossard

Head to the movies outside this summer. Here's what's playing:

Aug. 13: "The Fifth Element" at Parklife in Brooklyn, 8:30 p.m.; "Thelma and Louise" at Bryant Park, sunset; "Pulp Fiction" at Azul on the Rooftop in Manhattan, sunset;

Photoville (Sept. 13-23)

The free, pop-up photography village by United Photo Industries is opening its tents up to the public for photography-centric activities, from panel discussions to presentations by huge photography and media companies and fun, hands-on workshops, tours and more. It will kick off on Sept. 12 with an inaugural benefit picnic, too. photoville.com

'Project DASH' mural selfie benefit

Photo Credit: @diannnnneee

Enter to win $2,000 in DoorDash credit and $2,000 toward Feeding America when you visit its "Feed Change" mural (designed by Colossal) Brooklyn through Aug. 26. Snap an Instagram selfie to be entered. On Saturday, meet "The Bachelor" star Becca Tilley from 1 to 3 p.m. at the mural.

Free concerts in Times Square (Tuesdays and Wednesdays)

Photo Credit: Times Square Alliance

Broadway Buskers, Broadway actors and composers doing original work perform hits and musical theater favorites each Tuesday, from 5 to 7 p.m., including Daniel Quadrino ("Wicked," "Newsies," and "Bye Bye Birdie") Joey Contreras and Albert Guerzon ("Mamma Mia," "Ghost," "Honeymoon in Vegas," "Escape to Margaritaville"). There are also free concerts on Wednesday from 6 to 8 p.m. featuring artists from around the world. timessquarenyc.org

Outdoor Lunchtime Summer Concert Series (Wednesdays)

Photo Credit: Lincoln Square Business Improvement District

Hear live funk, classic rock and opera at this free series every Wednesday beginning through August 29. Musicians include The Drew Anderson Trio, The Meetles, Sheriff & The Deputy, Yaz Band, Calliope Brass, Receta Secreta and the Opera Collective. If you're not dancing, you can take part in a free yoga class by the West Side Y or eat your lunch. (Free, noon to 2 p.m., Richard Tucker Park at Broadway and 66th Street, lincolnsquarebid.org)

Mindful Mondays at Bocce

Photo Credit: @victoriaxstyle

Each Monday you can relax at Bocce USQ with this weekly workshop focused on wellness and self-care with refreshments. Classes will include yoga, barre and more. (Free, 8 to 10 a.m., 20 Union Square West, eventbrite.com)

Yayoi Kusama's 'Narcissus Garden' (through Sept. 3)

Photo Credit: Linda Rosier

"Narcissus Garden," Yayoi Kusama's 1500 mirrored stainless steel spheres, lives inside a former train garage at Gateway National Recreation Area at Fort Tilden in the Rockaways. You can walk through the spheres from July 1 through Sept. 3 as part of "Rockaway!," a public art festival and celebration of the Rockaway Peninsula's recovery from Sandy. (Free, Fridays through Sundays, from noon to 6 p.m., 169 State Rd., Fort Tilden, moma.org)

First Fridays at the Frick (July 6)

Photo Credit: Fabio Zonta via The Frick Collection

This free access Friday at the Frick Collection gives you freedom to roam its galleries and check out its exhibitions, including "Canova's George Washington" (pictured) and "Fired by Passion: Masterpieces of Du Paquier Porcelain from the Sullivan Collection." There's also gallery talks, live music and open sketching in the Garden Court. (Free, 6 to 9 p.m., 1 E. 70th St., Upper East Side, frick.org)

Open Mic Mondays at HGU (every Monday)

Photo Credit: HGU New York

Open Mic Mondays at HGU New York Hotel's Rose Hill Lounge gives participants a full band accompaniment while the audience can sip on cocktails as they sit on leather couches. Celebrity drop-ins occur from time to time and the lounge also has a rotating collection of modern art, courtesy of Chelsea's Gallery 151. (Free, 9 p.m. to late, 34 E. 32nd St., hgunyc.com)

Citi Summer in the Square (Thursdays)

Photo Credit: Liz Ligon

Every Thursday, get access to free fitness classes, movie nights, shows, live music and dueling performances through August 9 at Union Square. At lunch time, the New School of Jazz performs and in the evening, a dueling performance show will entertain you. You can also take a fitness class (dance, cardio and sunset yoga) hosted by New York Health & Racquet Club or run with the Paragon Run Club. In August, you can also catch an outdoor movie screening of "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" on the 2nd and "Hairspray" on the 9th. (Free, summerinthesquare.nyc)

Daily Events on the Waterfront

Photo Credit: Brookfield Place via Facebook

Brookfield Place has games and daily events each evening on the Waterfront through the summer, including pingpong, fitness classes, music and film screenings. The Tartinery Shack also has drinks and bites for those coming after work.

Mondays: Pingpong, 5-8 p.m.

Tuesdays: Trivia, 5-8 p.m.

Wednesdays: Fitness, 6-7 p.m.

Thursdays: Music and film, 6-8 p.m.

Saturdays: Fitness, 11 a.m.-noon

Sundays: Lazy Sundays with DJ sets, 11 a.m.- 2 p.m.

Island Fridays

Photo Credit: Charles Eckert

Sit back for some Jimmy Buffett, Zac Brown and Kenny Chesney tunes at Opry City Stage at this free, weekly concert series. Teaming up with Broadway's "Escape to Margaritaville," Opry City Stage is opening its doors to the public for free for these concerts. Attendees will get special drink deals on margaritas, as well as participate in live giveaways for tickets to the new Broadway hit. (Free entry, 10 p.m. to 1 a.m., 1604 Broadway, oprycitystage.com)

Queens International Night Market (Saturdays)

Photo Credit: Sharon Medina-Chavez

Now in its fourth year, this food and art market in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park features live performances, too. New bites for 2018 include Thai roasted crickets, Moldovan waffle rolls and Wenzhou-style fried chicken feet. Shop for trinkets like vintage brooches, stationery and Mexican handicrafts, too. (6 p.m. to midnight, near 47-01 111th St., Queens, queensnightmarket.com)

Shape Up NYC fitness classes

Photo Credit: iStock

The city offers free workouts and fitness classes across five boroughs, including yoga, pilates, Zumba, dance, aerobics, sculpting, boot camps and more. Why pay for a class you can get for free? Check on nycgovparks.org to find the nearest courses.

Free day at the Whitney Museum (Fridays)

Photo Credit: Linda Rosier

Pay what you want to get into the Whitney on Friday evenings. The museum has 63,000 square feet of exhibition space and has about 15,000 pieces of work by artists like Willem de Kooning, Edward Hopper, Georgia O'Keeffe and others. (7 to 10 p.m., 99 Gansevoort St., facebook.com)

NYC Urban Park Rangers

Photo Credit: NYC Parks / Daniel Avila

Acting as your ambassador to nature, urban park rangers can help you get in touch with your wild side here in the concrete jungle. From hikes to survival skills, to wildlife viewing and animal tracking, they'll teach you whatever you want to know for free. There's a schedule nearly every day, so check out the NYC Parks website.

Hear some local talent at QED's open mic (Wednesday-Sunday)

Photo Credit: QED via Facebook

Head to QED Astoria for free open mic nights featuring comedy, poetry, storytelling, music and more. Whether you want to sit in the audience and relax or practice your performing chops in front of a small audience, this is the space to do it. (27-16 23rd Ave., qedastoria.com)

Get literary at this reading series (second Monday of each month)

Photo Credit: Franklin Park via Facebook

This Crown Heights beer garden brings all the nerds to the yard the second Monday of every month. Both established and new writers will read at this acclaimed and completely free event. Enter a free lottery to win some literary swag or take advantage of $5 drafts during the event. (8 p.m., 618 St. Johns Place, Crown Heights,franklinparkbrooklyn.com)

Show off your singing chops at Arlene's Grocery (Mondays)

Photo Credit: Getty Images / Roger Kisby

This downtown music venue hosts a rock 'n' roll karaoke night weekly, where attendees can choose from a selection of hits to perform with a live band. Bring your friends and have a moment in the spotlight while performing your favorite rock song. (95 Stanton St., Manhattan, 10 p.m., arlenesgrocery.net)

Tour the Brooklyn Brewery

Photo Credit: Brooklyn Brewery

OK, so the beer isn't free (unless you're super nice to the ticket takers), but wait in line for a timed, 30-minute tour of the Brooklyn Brewery in Williamsburg -- it's totally free. The scent of beer is complimentary, too. (79 N. 11th St., brooklynbrewery.com)